Archive for the ‘Health Insurance’ Category

More space and attention was given to health and fitness at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) than ever before.  This reflects a growing consumer interest in living healthier lives.  Analysts see a big market ahead for tools that keep people fit, measure and motivate physical activity, encourage weight management, and promote healthy eating: all [...]

The deadline for enrolling in a new Medicare Part D plan is drawing near.  Have you checked what your current drug plan will cover in 2012?  It’s very likely that it has changed …. and not for the better.  You have just a few days to consider your options and make the choice you’ll live [...]

The deadline for enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan is fast approaching.  People currently enrolled in  Medicare Advantage need to check their plan and make sure it still fits their needs.  But for those in original Medicare, it’s an opportunity to take a look at an alternative to what they have now.  They may be [...]

The recent failure of the CLASS act is drawing attention to a subject we tend to ignore or avoid – the possibility of costly long-term care in our future.  That possibility is growing with every life-saving medical advance that comes along.  How ironic is that!?  Today, in fact, the above-85-year-olds are the fastest growing population [...]

Many people are disappointed that the CLASS program will not be implemented as planned because it solved a real problem in our society.  CLASS was a government insurance plan intended to relieve the financial burdens of long term care carried by the elderly and disabled unable to care for themselves.  However, the program was deemed [...]

As a provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA),  adult children up to 26 years old can now be covered under their parents’ health insurance policies.  Is this a good thing?  Alan Katz, in a recent blog, called it a ‘relatively’ good thing and cited it as one of the most popular features of the [...]

Recent headlines call out:  Health insurance rates soar in California,  Blue Shield Refuses to Delay Rate Hikes, and CA Can’t Block Staggering Health Insurance Rate Hikes.  These came out in response to announced rate hikes by 4 of the largest California health insurers, Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna, PacifiCare  and Blue Shield.  Although the hikes apply [...]

Unexpectedly, we found ourselves with a 2 week vacation to South Africa, with one week on a private game reserve and the other, traveling around the country.  Our friends couldn’t make use of the “Photo Safari Vacation” they had won at a charity auction; and we happily bought it from them.  However, preparations, according to [...]

A key building block of health care reform, the California Health Benefit Exchange,  was signed into law by Governor  Schwarzenegger last week in response to federal law.  States are mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to form insurance exchanges, have them certified by Health and Human Services by January, 2013 and operational [...]

Most people have never heard of the Medical Loss Ratio (MLR), but that’s about to change.  It’s an insurance company measure of how much of your health insurance premium is spent on actual medical care vs. administration costs.  State insurance regulators already require insurance companies to report and adhere to a standard MLR.  However, it’s [...]